For The Love Of Port

There is a little label on the top of the cork in the 1863 decanter, which says it was bottled in 2014. I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time a few weeks ago to be able to share one of these remarkable bottles. The wine was amazing, still so powerful and intense. I didn’t fee...

Probably from Messias, from what I’ve heard.

One of the bottles I bought while in Portugal last week didn't even make it to the end of the week. The Osborne 1994 was proof that even the weaker producers made a delicious Vintage Port that year. But if you own any Osborn 1994 VP, I recommend to drink them in the next decade. Don't leave them too...

While in Porto last week I bought single bottles of Osborne 1994 VP, the Confraria 40YO Tawny, Bulas 10YO White, Quevedo 10YO White and a bottle of Kopke 2011 White Colheita. All bought for fun; none are likely to last beyond the end of the year!

If we're talking Port, my longest held unopened bottle is a bottle of Vesuvio 1989, which I bought in August 1994 when the John Lewis department store offered them in single bottle boxes for £24.50 per bottle. I have some table wine which I've held for longer, but I only started keeping organised re...

Graham Crusted, bottled 2002. Surprised me by still being a fruit-fest with not a lot of complexity yet in the wine. I’m sure the complexity will develop eventually, but why wait?

Fonseca 1977 - OMG! A good bottle of this Port is indescribably good. I wish I had many more bottles.

It’s an amazing book. If you’re a Port fan and don’t already have a copy, it’s not cheap but it’s worth buying (but only one copy Andy!).

Your post rang a bell. Some distant memory that we’d had a similar conversation on the Forum in the past.

And I managed to find the old thread. Interesting to see how things have changed.

And guess who started that thread back in 2017?

My Graham's vertical is now 20 bottles if you count Stone Terraces, stretching from 1945 to 2015 Stone Terraces (and includes 2011 Stone Terraces). It's Graham's only - not Malvedos - but as mentioned I do include Stone Terraces because there are only 2 of them so far. Hey Glenn, don’t you need to ...

Churchill Gricha 2020 - wow! So delicious and easy to drink. It vanished in the blink of an eye.

Andresen 10YO White to celebrate finally having some sunshine. It’s been a long and grey winter.

You can buy good quality bottle wax from Amazon. It comes in a choice of brittle - the kind that when you tap it with a hammer to remove it explodes into a million pieces all over the kitchen so you're finding bits in corners weeks later - or soft. The soft type is the same as cheese wax and needs t...

Fonseca Crusted, bottled in 2001. A bottle I bought from a local wine store in 2007 and which had been sitting in my cellar ever since. It was well worth the wait. Medium bodied but so round and smooth, generous fruit but the complexity Vintage Port develops with a little age.

NV S. Leonardo 10 Year Old White Port Love these. They're a tiny bit bolder than Lamelas or DR. I love the fact we’re all different. I prefer the Lamelas 10YO White because it’s slightly sweeter than the Mourão and a little more dried mango fruit. I was brought up on dried mango as a snack so just ...

Crusted Port is the one Ruby Port which can be bottled before the 2nd year after the harvest. Today, many people will include wine from the last harvest in the multi-year blend use to take the Crusted bottled this year. And then it has to have some time in the bottle in the producer’s cellar before ...

I remember my first 100 point wine — it was a bottle of Quinta do Noval Nacional 1963, decanted 12 hours before drinking and shared between friends at Quinta do Noval. It was the first time I’d given a wine 100 points. I’ve never tasted a better Port, and only once or twice as wine on a par. The las...

I rarely post here, but today I opened a bottle of Blandy’s 2002 Sercial, bottled in 2016. It’s really hit the spot!

While I agree that creating a vintage chart for Colheitas might be an exercise in futility, that’s no reason for us not to! So to start off the debate, here’s some thoughts from me on where a particular vintage might sit based on my (very limited) colheita drinking experience. Grade A 1937 - I don’t...

tasty, but not an outstanding Vintage Port. That seems to be a fair summary of 1991 in general. There may be a handful of excellent 1991 VPs, but nothing outstanding and a lot that's "merely" good. That’s how I feel about the vintage too. It’s one of my go-to vintages if I want something ...